Iron diplomacy
"Iron diplomacy" (Ukrainian: залізна дипломатія, romanized: zalizna dyplomatiia) refers to the practice of transporting world leaders from Poland through Ukraine via rail since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9] The expression was coined by Oleksandr Kamyshin, the head of Ukrainian Railways, because many diplomats were being shuttled by train to and from Kyiv, the capital city, as the use of Ukrainian airspace was impractical due to the invasion.[10][11][9] In addition, the first foreign leaders to visit Kyiv had decided to avoid travelling from Poland to Ukraine via a Polish military jet, in case Russia interpreted it as an escalating move.[12] The journeys, including US President Joe Biden's 2023 visit, begin in Poland with a flight to Rzeszów-Jasionka Airport and then transfer to Przemyśl Główny railway station, where the visiting leaders board an overnight train to Kyiv.[13]
Rail system
[edit]Since the start of the Russian invasion in 2022, Ukraine's airspace has been closed and its roads have become unreliable due to fighting.[16] As a result, the country has been forced to rely heavily on its rail system for transport, including for humanitarian aid, refugees, weapons, and food for export.[16][10] As the rail system is crucial in Ukraine's resistance to the invasion, Ukrainian Railways has continued to run despite repeated attacks against the system, such as the attack on Kramatorsk station.[10] Security has also increased, and Aleksandr Kamyshin, who runs Ukrainian Railways, is now armed and accompanied by two bodyguards, keeps his schedule and location secret, and avoids physical contact with his family.[10][b]
Diplomats and other world leaders who wish to travel through Ukraine are faced with a similar lack of options, so they regularly take part in Kamyshin's iron diplomacy program.[16] The train ride takes nearly 10 hours.[17] Ukraine also provides a security detail for the visiting leaders, and Kamyshin also keeps their travel details secret, but sometimes information ends up being publicized before the delegation has left Ukraine, which increases the risk of an attack.[16][18]
Carriages
[edit]One of the carriages used in the iron diplomacy program was originally constructed for rich tourists to the Crimean peninsula.[16][14] Completed in 2014, it was used only a few times before Russia annexed the peninsula early that year.[14] Recently modernized carriages from the Soviet era have also been used for the iron diplomacy program.[16] Although most cars have been retrofitted with upscale furnishings to allow visiting leaders to travel comfortably, not all carriages have been refurbished to the same standard.[16] Discrepancies regarding train car accommodations were noted by the French president Emmanuel Macron, the German chancellor Olaf Scholz, and the Italian prime minister Mario Draghi during their joint trip to Kyiv in June 2022.[15]
Notable visits
[edit]Date | Travellers | Representing | To | Notes | Rf. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2022-03-15 | Mateusz Morawiecki, prime minister Petr Fiala, prime minister Janez Janša, prime minister Jarosław Kaczyński, deputy prime minister |
Kyiv |
|
[12] [19] [14] | |
2022-04-01 | Roberta Metsola, parliament president | Kyiv |
|
[9] [20] [21] [22] | |
2022-04-08 | Ursula von der Leyen, commission president Josep Borrell, foreign affairs representative Eduard Heger, prime minister |
Kyiv |
|
[16] [23] [24] [25] [26] | |
2022-04-09 | Boris Johnson, prime minister | Kyiv |
|
[14] [27] | |
2022-04-09 | Karl Nehammer, chancellor | Kyiv |
|
[28] | |
2022-04-13 | Alar Karis, president Egils Levits, president Gitanas Nausėda, president Andrzej Duda, president |
Kyiv |
|
[29] [30] | |
2022-04-24 | Antony Blinken, secretary of state Lloyd Austin, secretary of defense |
Kyiv |
|
[9] [31] | |
2022-04-28 | António Guterres, secretary-general | Kyiv |
|
[32] [33] [34] | |
2022-04-30 | Nancy Pelosi, speaker | Kyiv |
|
[35] | |
2022-05-08 | Justin Trudeau, prime minister Chrystia Freeland, deputy prime minister Mélanie Joly, foreign affairs minister[c] |
Kyiv |
|
[6] [36] | |
2022-05-22 | Andrzej Duda, president | Kyiv |
|
[37] | |
2022-05-26 | Sanna Marin, prime minister | Kyiv |
|
[38] | |
2022-06-16 | Emmanuel Macron, president Olaf Scholz, chancellor Mario Draghi, prime minister |
Kyiv |
|
[39] [40] [15] | |
2022-06-16 | Klaus Iohannis, president | Kyiv |
|
[41] [40] | |
2022-06-17 | Boris Johnson, prime minister | Kyiv |
|
[42] | |
2022-06-29 | Joko Widodo, president | Kyiv |
|
[43] | |
2022-07-03 | Anthony Albanese, prime minister | Kyiv |
|
[44] [45] [18] [46] | |
2022-07-25 | Alejandro Giammattei, president | Kyiv |
|
[47] | |
2022-10-20 | Ignazio Cassis, president | Kyiv |
|
[48] | |
2022-10-25 | Frank-Walter Steinmeier, president | Kyiv |
|
[30] | |
2022-11-19 | Rishi Sunak, prime minister | Kyiv |
|
[49] | |
2022-11-26 | Alexander De Croo, prime minister Katalin Novák, president Ingrida Šimonytė, prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki, prime minister |
Kyiv |
|
[50] | |
2022-11-28 | Urmas Reinsalu, foreign minister Pekka Haavisto, foreign minister Þórdís Kolbrún R. Gylfadóttir, foreign minister Edgars Rinkēvičs, foreign minister Gabrielius Landsbergis, foreign minister Anniken Huitfeldt, foreign minister Tobias Billström, foreign minister |
Kyiv |
|
[51] | |
2023-01-30 | Mette Frederiksen, prime minister | Mykolaiv, Odesa |
|
[52] | |
2023-02-20 | Joe Biden, president | Kyiv |
|
[53] | |
2023-02-21 | Giorgia Meloni, prime minister | Kyiv |
|
[54] | |
2023-02-23 | Pedro Sánchez, prime minister | Kyiv |
|
[55] | |
2023-04-28 | Petr Pavel, president Zuzana Čaputová, president |
Kyiv, Dnipro |
|
[56] [57] [58] | |
2023-06-10 | Justin Trudeau, prime minister | Kyiv |
|
[59][60] |
See also
[edit]Explanatory notes
[edit]- ^ From left to right: Polish deputy prime minister Jarosław Kaczyński, Czech prime minister Petr Fiala, Slovenian prime minister Janez Janša, Polish prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki, Ukrainian prime minister Denys Shmyhal, and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
- ^ Kamyshin also carries his son's stuffed owl with him.[10]
- ^ Also part of the Canadian delegation were Jody Thomas, national security advisor; Katie Telford, chief of staff; and Brian Clow, deputy chief of staff.[36]
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- Ukrainian responses to the Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Diplomatic protocol
- Diplomatic visits
- Foreign relations of Ukraine
- International rail transport
- Luxury trains
- Passenger rail transport in Ukraine
- Passenger rail transport in Poland
- Railway services introduced in 2022
- Ukrainian Railways
- Kyiv in the Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Przemyśl
- Rzeszów
- Poland–Ukraine relations